Manlio Castillo Rios, STEM Coach

Manlio Castillo Rios was born in Monterrey, Mexico and at the age of 13 his family moved to Texas.  It was there where he graduated from high school and went on to study Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas.  During his junior year of college, Manlio studied abroad at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM).  After receiving his Bachelor’s degree, he continued his studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, obtaining a Master’s Degree. 

Since graduating, Manlio worked with The Boeing Company and for Hewlett-Packard for eight years.  Currently, he is the STEM Coach for Clark and Cowlitz counties, managing the Opportunity Internship Program and the Advanced Placement Mentoring Program. He is married and enjoys spending time with his wife and two young sons, as well as photography and soccer.
  
To contact Manlio send him an email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kurt Reeser, Outreach Manager

After graduating from Willamette University with a degree in cultural anthropology and music Kurt served with an AmeriCorps program in Yakima County, Washington for two years helping develop programs that increased the reading abilities of the region’s migrant farm workers and their families; he was recognized by then Governor Gary Locke for his work. Upon completing his two years of service with AmeriCorps Kurt was hired as an AmeriCorps program coordinator in Yakima County where he managed several AmeriCorps programs; during his time in Yakima he also created the Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents Program. In the fall of 2007 Kurt moved to Vancouver and spent four years at Educational Service District 112 managing their AmeriCorps programs including the Washington Reading Corps and the Northwest Service Academy. Kurt is passionate about volunteerism and community service and is excited to be part of the nConnect team.

Cory Misley, AmeriCorps Volunteer

After graduating from Oregon City High School, Cory chose to stay close to his roots and attend Portland State University to study political science and psychology. During his junior year of college – while an intern with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden – Cory was selected to represent Oregon at the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship’s 2010 Student Congress, where he advanced his skills in conflict resolution, mediation, and compromise. Concurrently with the last two years of his studies at Portland State University, Cory worked in PSU’s award-winning interdisciplinary University Studies department as a peer mentor specializing in sustainability, tutored middle and high school students in Reynolds School District, and coached long and triple jump for his alma mater OCHS.

Cory graduated with honors from Portland State University with Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Political Science. Cory is proud to continue his passion for service as an AmeriCorps member with nConnect and looking forward to sustaining strong community relationships supporting STEM education.

Julianne Zahl, AmeriCorps Volunteer

Born in the Lilac City of Spokane, WA, Julianne remained in Eastern Washington to attend Washington State University in wheat-field-enveloped Pullman, WA. Here, she completed coursework for a Bachelor in Science in Mathematics emphasizing Actuarial Science in addition to a Bachelor in Music in Piano Performance emphasizing Piano Pedagogy in June 2012. Through the past seven years of private piano teaching, she has gained experience in one-on-one and small group instruction. As president of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) from 2010-2012, she also gained invaluable experience incorporating herself and the organization into the community through coordinating such activities as travel to national conferences, fund raising, recitals , and guest lectures. She is enthusiastic about fusing her diverse experiences and passions of mathematics and education in tutoring high school students.

Julianne loves to explore learning with people of all ages, especially school-aged individuals. She is very excited to be providing career support to high school students as she believes it is a crucial element to education that she herself missed. In the evenings and weekends, you may find Julianne enjoying time at the piano, baking, or hanging out around a lake or river. She also spends time volunteering at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) in Portland, OR and is an active member of the Vancouver Fire Corps.

To contact Julianne send her an email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Megan Holter, AmeriCorps Volunteer

Megan Holter graduated from Seattle Pacific University earning a degree in Integrated Studies with a Washington State Teaching Certification, and a minor in Business Administration.  She has student taught in both primary and middle grade levels, as well as tutored students individually in mathematics.  Megan has worked with high school athletic teams throughout her college career, which ignited a passion to work with high school students in the classroom setting. She has an eagerness for math education, and a desire to teach math in a way that meets the needs of students.  As an AmeriCorps volunteer, Megan strives to make math accessible, enjoyable, and relevant to students' lives in and out of the classroom.

To contact Megan send her an email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.